Gael Ondua has received praise from one of the world’s top players. But what could Neymar like so much?
The Cameroon national team beautifully left the World Cup in Qatar. After losing the match with Switzerland (0:1) and drawing with Serbia (3:3), the indomitable lions achieved the most unexpected victory in the match against Brazil. For the Russians, the Cameroonian team was of particular interest – a graduate of Lokomotiv Gael Ondua, a midfielder with Russian citizenship, played in it.
Gael was remembered at the World Cup rather than for his game (in two matches he had accumulated only 45 minutes on the field), but for boots with the image of the Russian flag. However, after the game with the Brazilians, Neymar himself appreciated the game of Ondua!
But what did the Brazilian star like so much?
Nice present
Hannover midfielder from the second Bundesliga Gael Ondua is familiar to Russian fans from playing for Lokomotiv, CSKA and Anji. Many times the footballer expressed a desire to play for the Russian national team, but he never received an invitation. And this fall, Gael was called up to the Cameroon national team to participate in the World Cup in Qatar. The Cameroon national team performed well in the group stage, but failed to reach the playoffs.
In the first match, the “lions” lost to Switzerland with a minimum score – Gael came on as a substitute in the 68th minute, but did not score. In the second game of the Cameroonians with Serbia, the fans were able to watch an amazing scoring shootout – 3:3. Ondua was released again in the middle of the second half, but this time he did not please with goals and assists. At the same time, it is worth noting that Gael did not spoil the game of the Cameroonian team with his appearance – he almost did not allow marriage.
In the final and triumphant match for Cameroon with Brazil (1:0), Gael remained on the bench. In general, at this World Cup, Ondua was noted only by using boots with the image of the Russian flag, which caused an uproar among European fans and journalists. However, as it turned out, it was not just anyone who followed Gael, but Neymar himself! The player spoke about this in social networks.
– Friends, I just want to share with you: I exchanged T-shirts with Neymar. This is a player I have a lot of respect for! And it was like that. After the match, we started talking and he said that he had watched our last matches. He liked the way I play and wanted to trade jerseys. Honestly, I’m nuts! — said Ondua in his telegram channel, attaching a photo with a Neymar T-shirt.
Now you can be doubly happy for Gael – the midfielder played for the first time at the World Cup, and even received laudatory reviews and a T-shirt from one of the best players on the planet! The Brazilian was seriously injured in the first match of the World Cup and watched the football from the stands in the remaining two games of the group stage. Ney definitely had time to watch the matches of the same Cameroon. However, it’s hard to imagine what exactly Neymar could have liked in those short segments of Ondua’s play on the field…
Perhaps Gael was just the first to catch Ney’s eye and with a portion of praise in addition to the T-shirt, the Brazilian decided not to delay. Be that as it may, Ondua will definitely remember this World Cup now!
